The present invention relates generally to improved features for electronic imaging apparatus of the type used for printing images on image recording material as the material is advanced along a preselected path in the apparatus.
An electronic image printing apparatus described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,400 entitled "Electronic Image printing Apparatus" by L. Douglas issued Jan. 24, 1989 discloses an electronic image printing apparatus which generates and prints images onto successive ones of a plurality of film units which are processed in the apparatus. The printing apparatus is housed in a generally parallelepiped structure having a top wall member. The film units used by the printing apparatus are of the self-developing type manufactured by Polaroid Corporation and comprise a plurality of stacked film units housed in a film cassette. The film cassette is inserted into the imaging apparatus by way of a door mounted on the top of the housing for slidable movement between open and closed positions. Whenever the door is open, it allows manual insertion and/or withdrawal of a film cassette. While this arrangement operates perfectly satisfactory, it does have the disadvantage in that the top of the imaging apparatus must be left accessible, thereby preventing the imaging apparatus from being placed between closely spaced shelves. Therefore it is desirable that the imaging apparatus be provided with a film cassette loading door on the front wall in order to eliminate the need to maintain a free and open space on top of the apparatus to accommodate film cassette loading and withdrawal.
It is a primary object of this invention to provide the electronic printing apparatus of the type described in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,400 Supra, with a front film cassette loading door that is moved from its closed to its open position by the force of gravity without incurring any material shock or vibration.
It is a further object of this invention to provide the electronic printing apparatus of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,4000 supra with a front film cassette loading door wherein a film cassette maybe loaded into and/or withdrawn from a receiving carriage without risk of displacing the carriage from its initial film loading position.
Other objects of the invention will be in part obvious and will in part appear hereinafter. The invention accordingly comprises a mechanism and system possessing the construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which are exemplified in the following claims.